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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. net — for catching
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. net — after costs
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pop — soda
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cap — of ice
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. degree — temperature
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — in sport
  18. cap — a lid
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cap — a hat
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stem — to come from
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stem — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com